BBC News Briefing

5 May, 2026

Sofia has long brown hair and brown eyes and is wearing a green top.

Sofia Lotto Persio

Hello. The standoff between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz raises the risk of a return to all-out war, writes international editor Jeremy Bowen. In this week's episode of From Our Own Correspondent, Sean Coughlan takes us behind the scenes of the King's US state visit. And finally, see how one woman's "beetle drive" led to a remarkable rediscovery.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

US insists Iran truce remains in place

A handout photo made available by the UAE Presidential Court shows a general view of the Port of Fujairah.

Fujairah is the terminus of an oil pipeline that allows the UAE to export without going through Hormuz. Credit: EPA

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the four-week-old ceasefire with Iran "is not over", despite attacks in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Officials such as Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen Dan Caine said that these attacks do not meet the "threshold" for a return to countrywide major combat operations, but as White House reporter Bernd Debusmann Jr notes, it remains unclear what that threshold looks like. Peace negotiations appear to have stalled as the US and Iran have different visions of what a deal should look like. Until one or the other - or preferably both - decide to offer concessions, writes Jeremy Bowen, "renewed full-scale hostilities remain an incident away".

Read Jeremy's analysis

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AT THE SCENE

USA

Behind the scenes of the US state visit

King Charles shakes hands with a junior member of National Park Service Rangers. He is wearing sunglasses and a grey suit and blue tie with red stripes.

Relaxed chats with locals must have been a relief after the high-stakes Washington diplomacy. Credit: Reuters

From Our Own Correspondent: State visits such as that of King Charles and Queen Camilla to the US last week are highly choreographed affairs. Even those who have travelled with the King on previous tours noticed some striking details.

Sean Coughlan, royal correspondent

State visits like this are unusual events - and this one more than most. They are a form of political theatre. Even the sandwiches on these trips can be symbolic. Beef sandwiches were being handed round at the embassy garden party, because this was the first tariff-free British beef following a trade deal, and so a sign of co-operation.

For correspondents covering state visits, there are long hours spent in queues for security, while trying to file stories. It means you need two key ingredients: a strong bladder and wifi. The security for this visit was particularly intense. It looked like they were going to war rather than protecting a dinner party.

Listen from 6-minute-mark

Watch: Highlights of the final day of the US visit included a block party in a town in Virginia.

More from Sean: The state visit has drawn a positive response after what was a difficult diplomatic challenge, he writes.

A composite of Heidi Klum at the 2026 Met Gala and Veiled Vestal by Raffaelle Monti (1846-47) that inspired her look (Credit: Getty Images/ Metropolitan Museum of Art)

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